54 White Kitchen Ideas That Will Never Go Out of Style

White kitchens are classic for a reason, a timeless choice for a room that is expensive to build and challenging to maintain. While trend forecasters love to declare the white kitchen dead, the truth is that white kitchens aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

A white kitchen can be anything you want it to be, from elegant and ethereal to crisp, clean, and contemporary. Choosing a white kitchen can make a historic home or a rustic farmhouse feel fresh and updated without erasing the original character of the home. In a modern townhouse or city apartment, a white kitchen can fade into the background while allowing other decor elements to set the tone. Using an all-white palette can allow you to mix styles and periods while retaining a cohesive look. A white kitchen can be a versatile blank canvas that can be transformed with simple changes, accented with wood or metallic finishes, or paired with black for an elegant, timeless look.

Remember that decorating and styling a white room requires finesse and attention to detail—from choosing the right shade of white paint to incorporating texture and installing proper lighting—to make it feel inviting as well as functional.

Check out these white kitchen ideas in a range of styles and sizes for inspiration.

The 10 Best Paints for Interior Walls for 2023

Add Scandi Style

All-white cabinetry and countertops, Scandi-style spindle-back white painted wood bar stools, and a trio of pendant lights with a Danish modern bent are accented with silver cabinet pulls and pale oak flooring in this airy kitchen from NYC-based Sissy + Marley Interiors, giving it a clean, modern farmhouse feel.

Mix Matte and Glossy

This petite L-shaped kitchen from Fantastic Frank is built seamlessly into a corner of a larger dining space equipped with a large table and chairs, allowing it to fade into the background at mealtime. The all-white kitchen has glossy lacquered cabinetry in a sleek flat-front design that blends into the all-white matte backsplash. A large picture window floods the tiny kitchen with natural light, making it feel open and airy.

Whitewash a Stone Wall

A textural and dramatic whitewashed stone wall backsplash adds texture and character to this kitchen from Leanne Ford Interiors. A wooden farm table and benches adds warmth and contrast.

Prioritize Natural Light

This open and airy Australian kitchen from Liberty Interiors has simple lines, an all-white palette, a few graphic black accents, and warm wood floors that maximize the spacious, light-flooded space.

Install Modern Lighting

This bright California kitchen from Cathie Hong Interiors is minimal and contemporary, with clean lines, white walls, mixed metals, sculptural modern lighting, and a massive island that comfortably seats six. A large sliding glass door leading to the outside floods the space with light.

The 15 Best Places to Buy Lighting Fixtures for 2023

Mix Old and New

An 1880s Catskill, NY home from AHG Interiors stays true to its farmhouse roots with fresh modern touches like a gleaming white kitchen that fits seamlessly into the open plan design and is warmed with natural wood beams, copper pots, and gold-toned plumbing fixtures.

Tips

Make an all-white kitchen feel more inviting by mixing in vintage and antique pieces that will add texture and warmth.

Add a Skylight

This light-flooded English coach house kitchen from deVOL Kitchens has a simple layout anchored by a massive central island prep space that keeps the focus on the classic architecture while creating an updated modern feel. A pair of hanging metal pendant lights draw attention to the vaulted ceiling and harmonize with the black metal framing on the ceiling skylight windows and industrial style metal and glass door.

Accent with Marble and Wood

Interior designer Kara Mann updated a historic home with a spacious and luxurious kitchen with built-in cabinetry, a sprawling kitchen island, white walls, modern pendant lighting, and wood, leather, and marble accents that seamlessly marry old and new.

Contrast with Dark Flooring

Interior designer Lance Thomas of Thomas Guy Interiors used dark wood flooring, bright white walls, cabinetry, and finishes, and gleaming pops of gold in this luxury kitchen with clean lines and high-end appliances. A red rug adds a splash of color and vibrancy to the sleek design.

Add a Waterfall Island

The bright and sunny kitchen of this renovated Cape Cod home from AHG Interiors is wrapped with windows, covered with crisp white paint, and topped off with a massive waterfall island that gleams in the middle of the room.

Pair with Warm Wood Tones

This historic Palo Alto, CA home renovation from Erin Williamson Design feels timeless and warm thanks to soft white walls and countertops blended with warm wood ceiling beams, cabinetry, and flooring that create a balanced feel.

Add Glazed Tiles

Glazed oversized backsplash tiles give this L-shaped kitchen from Leanne Ford Interiors textural interest while preserving the all-white palette. Wood and gilded accents add warmth.

Use Glass-Front Cabinetry

This spacious all-white kitchen from Marie Flanigan Interiors has glass-front upper cabinets that display a collection of white dishware and make the monochromatic space feel airy and light. Gold-toned hardware adds warmth and light.

Add a Privacy Curtain

This little all-white L-shaped alcove kitchen from Studio Peake can be banished from sight thanks to a green-and-white patterned curtain hung from the ceiling on the outside of the cased opening.

Hang Open Wood Shelving

This sunny San Jose, CA kitchen from Cathie Hong Interiors has classic white subway tiles, walls, and lower cabinetry. Chunky wood shelving adds contrast and warmth.

Accent With Black

This serene Copenhagen kitchen from Fantastic Frank has a contemporary Scandinavian feel with its streamlined layout and minimalist white flat-front cabinetry.

Accent with Rose Gold

An all-white palette helps this small open kitchen from Desiree Burns Interiors to fade into the background when seen from the living room. A retro style refrigerator and rose gold accents add a bit of bling that keep it from being invisible.

Choose White Flooring

In this white galley-style kitchen from interior designer Maite Granda, built-in cabinetry is built seamlessly to blend in with the walls and create a clean and polished look. Black-trimmed windows and peekaboo shelving allow light to flow through the pass-through kitchen which is semi-open to the rest of the living area.

Use Creamy Shades

This L-shaped kitchen from Bees Knees Interior Design Studio is decorated in shades of white. The white palette keeps the pass-through space feeling light and airy, while pale wood tones and mixed metal accents add warmth.

Choose a Bold Color Accent

This bright, fresh, and clean U-shaped kitchen remodel from Leanne Ford Interiors is finished with pure white finishes on tiling, cabinetry, and walls. A mix of closed, glass-front, and open storage offers plenty of room to keep clutter at bay. Wood floors add warmth and touches of red add color and energy to the overall minimalist design.

Brighten with Gold Tones

Gold accents warm up this white kitchen from Whittney Parkinson Design, while a mix of Shaker and textured built-in cabinetry adds interest while maintaining a monochrome look.

Add a White Pendant Light

This white-washed, light-flooded Scandinavian eat-in kitchen from Fantastic Frank has pale painted floors and simple midcentury furnishings like Eames Eiffel chairs and a Danish modern pendant light hanging over the tulip-style table. The all-white palette is contrasted with dark hardwood flooring that helps ground the space without looking heavy.

Add Chunky Wood Accents

This open modern kitchen from Leanne Ford Interiors has white walls, floors, ceilings, countertops, and lower cabinetry. Chunky wood ceiling beams and wrap-around open wood shelving adds a natural element, styled with plants and woven textures to make the space feel livable and comfortable.

Lay Statement Flooring

This spacious all-white galley kitchen from Lexington, KY-based by Matthew Carter Interiors has floor-to-ceiling subway tile, a mix of modern and vintage cabinetry and storage, and a bold graphic parquet floor in a mix of pale and dark wood that adds personality and makes it memorable.

Focus on Forms

An all-white palette allows you to focus on both finishes and forms. In this minimalist kitchen from Leanne Ford Interiors, a monumental range hood and crown molding adds architectural detail while maintaining a tranquil and uncluttered feel.

Give It Cottage Vibes

This cottage kitchen from Ursula Carmona of Home Made By Carmona is decorated simply in shades of white that run to beige and gray, creating a soft all-white look that is accented with a few natural wood tones, plants, and metallic accents.

Add a Colorful Backsplash

This California modern Eichler house in San Jose was updated by Cathie Hong Interiors, who turned the dark, outdated room into a space fit for 21st-century living. The designer added an island to optimize circulation, replaced outdated cabinets, and added new appliances, tile work, light fixtures, and open shelving. The space is covered in white from the wood paneled ceilings to the kitchen cabinetry, countertops, and cabinetry, making it feel fresh and modern. A navy blue backsplash and leather bar stool seating adds a touch of color without compromising the all-white look.

Incorporate French Accents

A pair of French-style wooden bar stools and a sparkly chandelier gives this all-white kitchen from Jessica Nelson Design a French country-inspired vibe that's easy to live with and will outlast trends. A wall of unadorned windows floods the space with natural light.

Accent with Black and Gold

This compact kitchen from Rashida Banks for Emily Henderson Design has white walls, white upper and lower cabinetry united with a white backsplash, and a sleek quartz waterfall edge peninsula in a white stone effect finish. Black accents from the flooring to the pair of black and gold vintage-style pendant lights that define the space, and bar stools with warm leather seating and black bases add just enough of a graphic note to ground the space and make it feel balanced rather than sterile.

Accent with Red

The best thing about an all-white space is how easy it is to transform it with a shot of color. This can be as simple as a bowl of tangerines on the countertop, come colorful tableware, or a few choice accessories in a bold shade. In this luxurious white kitchen from interior designer Maite Granda, a floating silver hood vent is suspended from the ceiling over a sleek kitchen island. Blood red bar stools and an oversized floor lamp add color and pizzazz without detracting from the million dollar ocean views.

Contrast with Dark Wood

This Tudor home renovation from Erin Williamson Design includes a spacious white kitchen that is complemented with dark walnut wood lower cabinetry lining the perimeter that is a nod to the original home's style. The refrigerator is hidden behind white paneled cabinetry for an uninterrupted look and polished feel. Porcelain chevron floor and Caesterstone countertops add texture in shades of white.

Add Vintage Decor

This spare kitchen design from Brexton Cole Interiors has a white tile backsplash that runs all the way up to the ceiling and soft white paint on the cabinetry. Black and brass accents add balance and a few vintage decor touches keep the uncluttered space from feeling too austere.

Whitewash the China Hutch

In this modern farmhouse style kitchen from Thistlewood Farms, a tall china hutch hearkens back to the days when formal dishware collections were displayed like trophies. Filled with casual all-white dishware and painted white, the china hutch feels updated for modern living while fitting in with the overall white pallette of the open kitchen and dining area. Dark hardwood flooring adds contrast and is carried onto the kitchen island and dining room seating.

Hang Oversized Lighting

In this glass-walled, all-white kitchen from Leanne Ford Interiors, an oversized pendant light hangs over the large kitchen island, highlighting the pitched ceilings and creating a note of drama while staying true to the room's monochromatic palette.

Accent with Silver

Marlaina Teich Designs used a mix of shiny and matte finishes in this white kitchen sprinkled with black accents, while shiny silver metallic fixtures give it a classic appeal that will stand the test of time.

Choose a Colorful Runner

This all-white kitchen from Desiree Burns Interiors is accented with black cabinet pulls and open shelving, while a blue runner on top of the dark hardwood flooring adds a surprise element and a shot of color with a single accessory that stands out all the more in the monochromatic space. The blue rug could be swapped out down the road for virtually any color of the rainbow to change the mood with minimal effort.

Create Cohesion

In this compact luxury kitchen from interior designer Maite Granda, white cabinetry, countertops, and flooring allows the cooking area to blend in with the open plan living and dining room, while silver and gray accents add subtle variation and a single piece of art introduces a bright color accent.

Choose Mismatched Furniture

In this vintage modern kitchen from Leanne Ford Interiors, white paint on the walls, window trim, cabinetry, and exposed ductwork on the ceiling creates cohesion that is contrasted with vintage pieces, natural wood and woven accents, and dark wood flooring.

Add Integrated Lighting

This kitchen alcove from interior designer Kara Mann has seamless built-in cabinetry and white finishes that give it a polished, minimalist feel. Black accents add a contemporary note, and plenty of built-in lighting keeps it feeling bright despite the limited natural light.

Paint the Floorboards

Blogger Liz Marie painted the shiplap walls, cabinetry, kitchen island, open shelving, and even the hardwood floorboards of her farmhouse kitchen in the same white tones of the rest of the room for a whitewashed feel that's casual, uncomplicated, and inviting.

Mix Shades of White

Stark white is not the only option when designing a white kitchen. Leanne Ford Interiors chose creamy off-white paint on the walls that allows the pure white millwork, fireplace mantel, stained glass windows, and modern waterfall edge island to stand out. A large domed white pendant light with a gold leaf interior marries the mix of cool and warm shades.

Use High-Gloss Cabinets

Interior designer Maite Granda ran the high-gloss white cabinetry all the way up the high ceilings of this contemporary Florida kitchen, interrupted only by stacked ovens and added a mirrored backsplash that reflects light. The custom-built storage exploits every last inch of vertical space and makes the airy kitchen feel bespoke while helping to ensure it stays clutter-free. A few black and gold accents keep it from feeling one-dimensional.

Add Contemporary Lighting

This streamlined kitchen from Design Lines Signature has a simple layout that leaves room for a few dramatic details—a massive stainless steel oven hood, a trio of sculptural pendant lights, a colorful painting—without sacrificing the minimalist all-white feel of the space.

Pair With Pale Wood

This minimalist Florida kitchen from interior designer Maite Granda is designed to blend into the open plan space and allow the wide open coastal views from the floor-to-ceiling sliding glass door windows take center stage. The designer accomplished that by using a palette of white and pale wood, with cool steel accents and seamlessly built-in cabinetry, appliances, and a dropped ceiling with a built-in hood vent over the white central island.

Add Glass Accents

Leanne Ford Interiors installed clear glass bubble pendant lights over the large central island of this all-white open kitchen that defines the space without adding visual clutter.

Install Pale Countertops

This all-white open plan NYC kitchen from JLA Designs has plenty of closed storage to hide clutter. Marble-effect quartz on the countertops and backsplash and blingy gold-toned cabinet pulls and pendant light shades add a touch of glam that makes the kitchen flow with the rest of the space, fading into the background when not in use.

Whitewash the Brick

This kitchen from Leanne Ford Interiors has painted white brick walls and all-white appliances that allow the dramatic arched window over the sink to be the star of the show. A smattering of gold accents and rich wood flooring laid in a geometric pattern add warmth and richness to the airy room.

Maximize a Tiny Space

White is a go-to color for tiny spaces like this Stockholm studio from Fantastic Frank, with a compact kitchenette tucked beneath the loft bed stairs that practically disappears when not in use.

Use White Appliances

This modest all-white kitchen from Jess Bunge for Emily Henderson Design has open and closed cabinetry, a large butcher block countertop, and sink along one wall, with a white free-standing oven positioned on its own against the back wall as a matter of necessity that blends into the white wall paint. A convex witch's eye mirror with an ornate gold frame distracts the eye and amplifies views.

Add Some Lace

This small but airy and light-flooded Stockholm kitchen from Fantastic Frank is authentic Scandi style at its best, with its simple white and silver finishes, a streamlined wall of cabinetry and appliances, painted white bentwood chairs, and a small table covered in a lacy white tablecloth to add a note of retro charm.

Accent with Green

A Beautiful Mess kept this small U-shaped kitchen feeling light, bright, and airy with an all-white palette that includes floating open shelving that wraps the corners to store dishware, spices, and pantry staples. A cool-toned silver range hood and a retro mint green stove adds a color accent that is echoed in the natural greenery scattered on the shelving and the countertops that make it feel cheerful and alive.

Soften With Beige Accents

A vintage-style runner adds a timeless element to this classic all-white kitchen from Mindy Gayer Design Co., that softens the bright white finishes of the modern space.

Mix in Natural Textures

Michelle Berwick Design added a bright white kitchen to an early 1900s farmhouse renovation that has a central waterfall edge island that feels modern, and a large range hood that nods to the original character of the home. Woven bar stools add texture and warmth.

The 9 Best Kitchen Islands of 2023

Choose Beige Cabinets

If you want to add some depth to an all-white kitchen, paint your cabinets in a light shade of beige or taupe, like this space from Brexton Cole Interiors.

Are white kitchens still in style?

White kitchens are still in style, and will be in style forever. Ignore anyone who says otherwise and choose a white kitchen that you can refresh as the years go by with color accents, wallpaper, lighting, or window treatments.

What colors look good in a white kitchen?

Virtually any color looks good in a white kitchen, but popular and easy-to-live-with choices include shades of blue, red, yellow, orange, and green. Accent with a single shade for a bold, contemporary look, or mix three shades of a favorite color for a softer, more organic feel.

How do you make a white kitchen pop?

You can make a white kitchen pop with bold color accents on the backsplash, kitchen rug, or tile flooring; by adding graphic touches of black on pendant lighting or cabinet hardware; or by sprinkling bright metallic accents throughout the space, such as brass detailing on the hood range or a row of copper pots and pans displayed on a wall rack.

Read the original article on The Spruce.